On May 24, 2023, at Lotus Light Charity Society’s kitchen, volunteers were busy preparing hot meals for the elderly residents living in SRO buildings. The kitchen was bustling with more activity than usual that day, as four new volunteers joined the team to lend a hand in the kitchen.
They were led by Ms. Lisa, the president of the Global Federation of Chinese Business Women Association of BC. She was surprised to learn that all of this good work was accomplished with limited resources in terms of manpower and funding, and praised Lotus Light for their admirable charity work – particularly in the impoverished and neglected East Vancouver area, where help is most needed. In comparison to larger charitable organizations with many staff members, it was impressive to see the impact made by several dedicated individuals.
Accompanying the president was Ms. Wu, the vice president, who is also the CEO of a media company. She expressed her desire to introduce the charitable work of the Lotus Light Charity Society to the community and seek multiple sources of support to expand their impact.
The Lotus Light Charity Society’s Hot Meal for Homeless program had been running since 2015. Initially, it collaborated with major restaurants and community kitchens in Greater Vancouver to provide free hot meals to low-income individuals and the homeless. However, in 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of public facilities and restaurants, the kitchen applied to establish the Lotus Light Charity Kitchen. This expansion allowed them to extend their support to include low-income seniors residing in SRO buildings. Every week, they cooked hundreds of boxes of hot meals with both Chinese and Western dishes. These meals benefit hundreds of low-income seniors, homeless, and other vulnerable members of the Downtown Eastside (DTES) Vancouver community each week.
We welcome any who wish to provide support and are interested in knowing more about our activities to visit: www.vllcs.org. Tel: 604-685-5548 Email: llcsvancouver@gmail.com. Government charity registration number: BN 14110-4893-RR0001.
